Razor-blade stropper



Dec. 17, 1929. R. H. INGERSOLL 1,740,243

RAZOR BLADE STROPPER Filed Sept. 30. 1925 Patented Dec. 17, 1929 UNITEDSTATES ROBERT H. INGERSOLL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.; CHARLES SMITH, OFLANSING,

MICHIGAN, AND FREDERIGC. LEUBUSCHER, OFESSEXEALLS, .NEW JERSEY, EXECU-;TORS OF SAID ROBERT H. INGERSOLL, DECEASED, ASSIGNORS .TO .ROZBT. H.INGER- .SOLLQINQ, OF NEW YORK,,N. .Y., .ACORPORATION OF :NEW .YORK

nnzonisiimm 'STBOPPER Application filedSeptember 30, 1925. Serial No.59,615.

This invention relates to razor blade holders for employment during thestropping'of the blade.

One of the objects of thisinvention is the provisionof a simple,reliable, andcheaply manufactured device of this type,'which is verycompact and easily carried. Another object is to 'make such-devices offew parts and of slight encumbrance. A further object is to provideanassembly for such devices which is rigid and affords affirm grip to.thelhand, buthas a guarddisposed about .the'sharp edge of the razorblade'so that the latter is prevented from injuring theperson of theuser or the leather strep. Another obect is to provide such a structurein which a safety'razor blade mayibeeasily and quickly mountedanddismounted, so that very little time will be necessitated for thestropping operation as a whole. A further object is to providea-positive'guide stop for the movement of the guard, so that-only thedesired angle of blade and strop is attained during thestroppingoperation.

With these and other objects in view as will appear in the course of thefollowing Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an end view of'the'device of Fig.1, showing it in useupon-astrop.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view'of the handle section.

Fig. 6. is a corresponding view of the blade holder and guard,with aportion of 'theguard broken away for greater clearness.

Fig. 7 is aplanview of a modified form of the device.

8-is a section on lines 8"8 of Fig.7 "Fig. 9 is a plan-view, witha-portion'broken away, of afurther modified form of "thede- "vice.'FigJilOis axse'ction'online10 10:df3Fig. 9. 9. saffe'ty razor"bladepthe blade :is forced be- Fig. llisan endviewof the deviceaccording to Fig-9.

The device shown in Fig. 1 consists of'a handle member 10 :which may beformed by cutting and bendingsheet metal or tubing, as shown in .Fig. 5.The eXial borehole 11 extends for a considerable .portion of the lengthof theihandle l0,'and:is open forsubstantially its. entire lengthby aslot 12, which near the outer vend'and the inner end ofthe borehole 11is widenedby thQfIlOtChGS g13-13 and 1 1 14, which are disposed .inapairsopposite to each other. 'The portion of the handle 10 which is notdrilled for the borehole l l :is knurled on theexterioras shown at 15,to aiford-a better grip forthe'fingers during the operations ofstropping and of placing and removing the blade and guard in the handlesection.

The blade holder consists .of a sheet of the blade holderembracesasleeve .17.

This sleeve 17 is carried upon the ends of "a bent wire guard18. Thisguard'has its ends "within the sleeve17, and is thereforesubstantia'lly-a closedloop. I

The two ends 16, 16 10f the-blade holder are designed to have a slightresiliency with regard-to each other-so that they-spring apart when inthe position shown in Fig. 6; Intermediate the roll 19 ofthe bladeholder, which surrounds the 'sleeve' 17, 'and-the'two ends of thissheen-the two end portions of the sheet flare outwardly as shown at 20.The thick- '-ness acrossthe outside surfacesof'the sheet at 20-20'ismadeslightly greater than the thickness of the slot at '12, so that whenthe handle 10 is ,slid onto and over the guard 18 and the blade holder16, 16 the guard will slide freely in the slot 12, but theblade holder16, l6 will be compressed bythe engagement of'its'surfaces 2020 withthewalls of the slot-12, and'the outer edges 16, 16 ofthe blade tweenthe two rebent portions 16, 16 of the blade holder, the guard 18 isbrought substantially into the plane of the blade, and the handle 10 isslipped over the guard'18, thus compressing and clamping the ends 16, 16of the blade holder and the razor blade 13 tightly together and holdingthe latter in position. It will be observed that in this way any flatrazor blade may be held in one and the same device. The stroppingoperation is accomplished in a normal manner, with the added advantagethat the razor blade may be turned over its edge in reversing at the endof.

a stroke without possibility of damage to the strop. During thisstropping operation, the guard 18 shifts automatically from side to sideof the blade as shown in Fig. 3 in the two dotted line positions, byvirtue of its contact with the strop and the natural twisting movementgiven to the handle 10 during the operation of stropping.

After the blade has been stropped to the desired extent the guard 18 andthe blade holder 16, 16 are slid out of their position within the hollowhandle 10, and the blade may be pulled out of the holder.

It is particularly pointed out that this preferred form consists ofthree members: a onepiece rigid handle with a slot in one side thereof;a one-piece resilient blade holder which slides into the rigid handle,and is clamped thereby over and about the razor blade; the guard whichis permanently mounted in the blade holder and is held thereby againstaxial movement with regard to the handle, but has a limited oscillatorymovement in the handle by virtue of the notches 1313 and 1414.

In the modified form shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the handle is made of sheetmetal and is curled over to form a hollow tube. This handle 25 is formedwith a roll 26 near one end which receives the blade holder, and theadjacent portions of the handle next to this roll 26 are depressed toform the parallel plane surfaces 27, which are bounded at the ends bythe flared portions 28 and 29 of the handle 25 corresponding to thenotches of the device of Fig. 1. The portions 28 are open at the end ofthe handle, whereas the portions 29 join in the general run of the gripsection of the handle. The blade holder is formed as before of a singlestrip of metal, with the ends 30, 30 brought into substantially planeparallel relation, with a flared portion adjacent these ends. of anouter to outer surface thickness greater than the space defined betweenthe two parallel plane surfaces 27 of the ban dle, and with the roll 31joining these two symmetrical portions and embracing the guard wire 82,which may rock therein.

The operation in this case is the same as that of the device inFigure 1. The blade holder 30 is compressed between the plane surfaces27 of the handle, so that it is cl amped upon the razor blade B and theguard 32 has a limited permissive rocking movement within the flaredportions 28 and 29 of the handle 25.

This modified form of the device has the same number of members, withthe same functions, as that shown in Fig. 1.

In the modified form of Figs. 9 and 10, the razor blade C is ofwedge-shaped section. In this case the greater thickness of the bladeand its back edge 40 permits drilling small holes as shown for exampleat 41 in the end of the blade. The guard 42 is formed of sheet metal orbent wire in one piece and passes around the edge. of the blade andcarries at its ends the integral journal pins 43 which are receivedwithin the holes 41. In this way the blade and its guard are constantlyassociated with each other, even during the shaving operation, at whichtime the guard may be thrown backward and out of the way. lVhen it isdesired to strop the blade, it is removed from the shaving holder, andintroduced between the folded portions 44, 45 of the stropping device.This handle comprises a single sheet of metal folded into the form of atube providing a handle 46 but having the end adapted to receive theguard and blade by bringing the two sides 44 and 45- closer togetherthan the thickness of the blade G at the corresponding points. In thisway, the sections 44 and 45 resiliently clamp the blade when the latteris forced endwise between them and hold it against movement. Al

stud or button 47 is provided in the handle to limit the inward movementof the blade C and its guard 42. The portions 44 and 45 are flaredoutwardly at their two ends as re resented at 48 and 49, correspondingto t enotches of the device of Fig. 1, so that the guard 42 in this casehas a permissive rocking movement about the axis of the pins 43, limitedby its contact with the flared portions 48, 49 so that it may presentitself at either side of the edge of the blade.

This modified form of the-device consists of the rigid handle, and theblade and guard, which are permanently attached together and are held inthe handle without the necessity of a separate blade holder.

The position of the handle, the holder, the guard and the strop inpresenting the blade to the strop is shown in Figure 4, which isapplicable to any of the modifications. It will be seen that the angleof presentation of the blade to the strop depends partlyupon the stroptension; and that the stropping device may be reversed upon the strop byturnchanges may be made within the structurewithin the scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. In a holder for razor blades for use during stropping, an integralmember having a handle formed at one end thereon and a longitudinalundercut groove extending from the other end thereof, said groove havingoppositely disposed pairs of notches in its walls near the ends thereof,said groove being adapted to receive by an endwise sliding movement andthe walls thereof thereby to ef feet a resilient clamping of a razorblade in position therein, and a closed guard pivota1- ly mounted atboth ends with respect to said razor blade and adapted in the operativeposi tion of said blade in said member to have a permissive rockingmovement from one side to the other of the edge of said blade betweenthe walls of said respective pairs of notches.

2. In a holder for razor blades for use during stropping, an integralrigid member having a handle formed at one end thereof and alongitudinal undercut groove extending from the opposite end thereof,said groove having oppositely disposed pairs of notches in its wallsnear the ends thereof; an integral blade holder formed with parallelends adapted to clamp a flat razor blade between them, said ends beingjoined by a central section of greater thickness adapted to be slidinglyreceived in the undercut groove and held thereby, and portions formed onsaid blade holder between said ends and said central portion of agreater normal external separation than the width of said groove,whereby said portions are resiliently compressed in the operation offorcing said blade holder into said member; and a blade guard looselyand permanently pivoted in said blade holder and adapted to slide alongin said groove during the movement of assembling, and in the operativeposition of said blade holder in said member to rock from one side tothe other of the edge of the blade, said guard being limited in saidmovement by the walls of the said notches.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

ROBERT H. INGERSOLL.

